Who knew production could make an exciting blindfolded challenge without having castaways aimlessly smash into objects? Survivor: David vs. Goliath brought us a surprisingly epic challenge with three tribes.
I have to be honest; when there’s a Survivor challenge with more than two tribes, I usually find it far less competitive and less creative. Yesterday’s was quite the opposite. It required each tribe of five to have a caller while the rest of the members were blindfolded. This put the onus on the caller for the entire challenge, and all three did a solid job. Below is a video of yesterday’s reward/immunity challenge.
The first portion had two blindfolded members from each tribe push a wheelbarrow, which the caller was seated on and had to be maneuvered through a series of obstacles. Unless it’s escaping my memory, I don’t recall ever seeing a blindfolded challenge like this one. The unique element of the players having to make sure the caller wouldn’t fall over added another layer to the challenge, as it required more balance and finesse.
The first obstacle, which Jeff called the easiest part, presented a few slight speed bumps. Tiva; the green tribe, flew through this section as Gabby proved to be effective as a caller. John and Dan pushing her fast down the course despite being blindfolded also helped in gaining a lead.
Natalie and Nick did a good job of pushing as well. With Angelina as their caller, the purple tribe known as Jabeni moved onto the second obstacle soon after. The orange tribe; Vuku, guided by Kara, was a completely different story. She could not get Alec and Davie to stay on course and they fell way behind. However, since this was the fastest part they were able to catch up quick.
The next part of the challenge involved maneuvering the wheelbarrow through a short maze. Once again, Gabby delivered clear instructions to her tribe members and they cruised right through. Angelina could not say the same for her tribe. They got stuck in the maze and couldn’t get around each bend cleanly. This began to frustrate Natalie as they were going nowhere. On the other hand, Kara was able to get her tribe back on track. Although they entered the maze last she was able to direct Davie and Alec fairly well and passed Angelina’s tribe.
The last obstacle was a narrow bridge that couldn’t have been more than a foot wide. Once again the green tribe steamrolled past it, and Gabby untied a bag that contained their ball for a table maze. The purple tribe guided by Kara also passed through the bridge fairly well, while the orange tribe continued to struggle at the previous obstacle.
This led to Natalie making a comment towards Angelina asking why they were going nowhere. Angelina kept her cool and told Natalie to calm down. She was able to finally guide her tribe out of the maze and did a good job on the narrow bridge as well.
For the final part of the challenge, two blindfolded members from each tribe will solve a table maze. The caller is responsible for ensuring their teammates will navigate the ball through the maze without having it drop out.
Gabby put an exclamation mark on her performance by calmly but confidently directing Christian and Alison through the table maze. They won decisively, and as the first team to finish, they claimed the reward of an array of sweets and coffee.
It looked like the orange tribe wasn’t too far behind victory either, but Elizabeth and Natalia let their ball slip off of the course, sending them back to the start of the maze. This opened the door for the purple tribe, and Angelina continued to keep her cool, as she calmly guided Mike and Lyrsa to a come from behind win! This sent the orange tribe; Vuku, to an interesting Tribal Council.
Top Performers: All three callers did a great job of directing their tribe members without shouting or getting off track. Gabby’s strong performance is sure to boost her confidence and prove her worth to the tribe. Angelina’s poise proved to be key, allowing her to concentrate despite Natalie’s negative vibes. If she makes it to the merge, I could see her pulling out a win or two on a balance or endurance challenge.
Weakest Links: Due to the nature of the challenge, it is hard for anyone blindfolded to make a mistake bad enough to weaken their position in the game. The entire challenge rested on the callers. Although Kara’s tribe lost, it wasn’t really any fault on her own. Besides that one mistake on the table maze and a slow start, Kara was in control.
Immunity/Reward Challenge Rankings:
Creativity: 4/5
Difficulty: 2.5/5
Entertainment Value: 3/5